Rotating cutting disk type mower



April 25 1950 J. BARKER ET A1.. 2,505?? ROTATING CUTTING msx TYPE MowER Filed Jan. 29, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l fr/zeg@ Alr 25, 95@ J. BARKER Er AL 2,505,377

l ROTATING CUTTING DISK TYPE MowER Filed Jan. 29, 1946 v 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Apr. 25, 1950 imrreso smi-ss rare-NT 'eerie-l5:

2,505,377 -noTATING CUTTING DISK TYPE MoWER .John-*Barker -and -Morrs Ghere,.Ce-ntralia, Ill., eassignors, by `4mesne assignments, .to Yazoo Manufacturing Company, Inc., Jackson, .Miss .a corporation of Mississippi :Application J anuary' 29, 134.6,iSerialNoa643999 (el. rss-25.4

ZlClaims. 1

`.This invention xrelates zto power :driven ylawnmowers, arl-dimore :particularly-to a lawn-mower of fthetype which has rits cutting blade `mounted forrotation inahorizontaldplane adjacent the ground.

Afmain :.objectfof the invention is -to provide a novel .and improved Adawn-.mower of -simple and safe construction which is highly -eilcient in operation and .whichis :very-easy vto loperate and control.

A zfurth'er Lob'ject of the inventionis to provide an improved power driven lawn-*mower of the rotaryblade :Ltypasaid lawn-mower being readily adjustable tosnitia wide range of operating conditions and having a novel arrangement of means l for controlling the power `for thecutting blade, the apparatus being mounted. Lin a very sturdy manner yet being light in weight.

Furtherobjects and advantages .of the invention will appear from "the following description and claims, and from the accompanying Vdrawings, wherein:

Figure l is aside-elevational fview of a lawnmower 4constructed in i accordance .with the vpresent invention.

' `AFigure `2 visa-top -plan -viewpfthe lawn-mower structure-*of Figure 1.Y 1

Figures is adetail view `taken v'on line 3'-3 'of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is La detail view-taken on line 4 4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a detail view taken on line5--5 -of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings, II designates a supporting frame which may be constructed of steel tubing or the like, said frame comprising a forward loop portion I2 which is substantially hori- Zontal, and a rearward portion I3 which is inclined upwardly at a small angle with respect to forward portion-I2. Rear portion I3 comprises a pair of wheel loops I4, I4 in each of which is journalled a pneumatic-tired wheel I5 of substantial diameter, the Wheels I5, I5 supporting most of the weight of the apparatus. Supported between the inner arms of loops i4, I4 is a horizontal platform IB upon which is mounted a gasoline engine I'I. The shaft of engine I'I extends ,through a protective tubular housing I 8 to a conportion of frame I I is a handle structure comprising a transverse handle bar 2|] secured to the rear of frame I I by a pair of inclined side bar members 2|, 2| and a center bar member 22. Center bar r 2 member 2.2 -may Ybead-justed in eiiectiveilength-.by a set-screw 23 carried bye, link member 24:-pivotallysecured `to the rear end-.of frame Ifl, vbar member 22 passing through linkmember 24vand being Vclamped .therein by 4screw 23. Side .bar membersZI, .2| .aresecured toframe II bybolts having wing nuts 25, 25 .and are pivotally connected to handle bar .20, `By longitudinallyadjusting the Kpositionof v`center .bar .22 `the angular position of the handle bar .supporting framework may be regulated, and the .height ;of `handle -bar 20 maythus be adjustedto .suit the operator.

Mountedon `one v4of .the side `bars .2l .adjacent handle bar 2li is a control lever 26 .conneetedvbya tie member 21, which may Ibe either ya rigid .rod or a -eXible cable, to a Iclutch .control .lever .28 `carried byclutch device I9. When the operator pulls lever 26 `to .its downward Yposition iclutch device I9 is disengaged. WhenzleverZ- isfreleaseid clutch .IES returns to its normal engaged position.

Forwardloop portion IZ-Oiframell carriesat its -zcenter a housing 38 supported lbyradial -bar's 29, 29 and 130,30 whichare connected to .the outer portions Yof frame I=I. A transverse I-beam-LSI connects radial bars30, 3i! to stiifen the supporting structure for `housing 28. J ournalled inhousing 38 is a vertical shaft 432 carrying at-its upper end a bevel gear 33 and at its -lowerend thecutter blade 34. Meshing with bevel gear 33 is a-,bevel gear 35--carried by a-horizontal shaft 36 connected tothe driven element Vof ,clutch I9. Shaft 36.-is containedinatubular housing 3l `whichis secured toandsupportedon transverse I-beam 3:! Bevel gears 33 and 35 are contained in an appropriate housing 38 into which lubricant may be admitted by a suitable iitting 39. As shown in Figure 5, the end of shaft 36 protrudes through the forward wall of housing 38. Shaft portion 4l) may be employed as a power take-off shaft to drive auxiliary equipment such as hedge clippers, sprayers, and the like.

Appropriate roller bearings are provided for the various rotating shafts to minimize rotational friction thereof.

The forward portion of frame loop I2 is supported by a pair of casters lll, il adjustably secured in suitable sleeves i3, 43 by means of set screws '52, l2 to the loop. The height of loop I2 above ground level, and hence the height of cutting blade 34, may be regulated by adjusting the positions of engagement of set screws 42, 42 with respect to the Supporting shafts of the casters lll, el. Sleeves @3, 43 are rigidly secured,

' as by welding, to frame loop I2.

substantially to ground level.

and extending for substantially the full width thereof is a flexible guard member 44 of interconnected chain links or the like, which extends Guard member 46 prevents injury to the operator in the event of breakage of blade 34.

Platform i6 is preferably of wood or plywood, whereby vibration of the gasoline engine l1 is deadened.

Wheels l5, I may be heavy duty balloon tire bicycle wheels.

A shield 45 of sheet metal or the like may be employed to cover the side and top rear portions of the frame adjacent the rotary cutting blade 34. It has been found that the performance of the lawn mower has been considerably enhanced by the useof such a shield. When a shield such as 45 is used, the shield should not cover the forward porton of the frame but should preferably leave exposedan arc of the cutting blade path of travel equivalent almost to a semicircle at the forward portion .of the lawnmower.

While a specic embodiment of a power driven lawn-mower has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore itis intended that no limitations be placed on the invention other than as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a lawn mower, a. wheeled frame having a horizontallyfdisposed forward loop portion Iand a rearward portion inclined with respect to said forward portion and secured thereto, power means carried by the rearward portion of said frame, a plurality of radially-disposed bars carried by the forward looped portion, a housing interposed between said bars and supported by the latter, a horizontally-disposed cutter blade arranged wholly within a horizontal plane and confined in said forward looped portion, said cutter blade being mounted intermediate its ends for rotation about a vertical axis, means operatively connecting said power means to said cutter blade for rotating the latter, said means comprising a vertically-disposed rotatable shaft carried by said housingV and having its lower end connected to said cutter blade, a first bevel gear secured to the upper end of said shaft, a second bevel gear arranged in meshing engagement with said rst bevel gear, a horizontally-disposed shaft having one end secured to said second bevel gear, a clutch vsaid clutch to said power means, and means carried by the forward portion of said frame for adjusting the level of said cutter blade relative to the lawn, said last named means embodying a pair of rotatably supported casters arranged in side by side spaced relation with respect to each other and mounted on said frame for sliding movement, and hand actuable means carried by said Vframe and engageable with each of said casters for positioning the latter in a select position of said sliding movement.

2.V In a lawn mower, a wheeled frame having a horizontally disposed forward loop portion and a rearward portion inclined with respect to said forward portion and xedly secured to the latter, power means carried by the rearward portion of the frame, a cutter blade arranged wholly within a horizontal plane and conned in said forward looped portion, said cutter blade being mounted intermediate its ends for rotation about a vertical axis, and means carried by the forward portion of said frame for adjusting the level of said cutter blade relative to the lawn, said last named means embodying a pair of rotatably supported casters arranged in side by side spaced relation with re spect to each other and mounted on said frame for sliding movement, and hand actuable means carried by said frame and engageable with each of said casters for holding the latter in a select position of said sliding movement.

JOHN BARKER. MORRIS GI-1ERE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 625,584 Miller May 23, 1899 1,992,494 Lundin Feb. 26, 1935 2,017,524 Bolens Oct. 15, 1935 2,076,056 Woodford Apr. 6, 1937 2,265,545 Phelps Deo. 9, 1941 2,287,126 Packwood June 23 1942 2,302,472 Power Nov. 17, 1942 2,403,236 Phelps July 2, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 416,140 Great Britain Sept. 13, 1934 

